Sea goldie

The sea goldie (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), also known as the orange basslet, lyretail coralfish, lyretail anthias,[2] lyretail fairy basslet, orange fairy basslet, orange seaperch, scalefin basslet, scalefin fairy basslet and scalefin anthias, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, an anthias from the subfamily Anthiinae part of the family Serranidae, the groupers and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It is found in the aquarium trade.

Sea goldie
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Genus: Pseudanthias
Species:
P. squamipinnis
Binomial name
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
(Peters, 1885)

Range

The sea goldie is found in the western Indian Ocean including the Red Sea, and in the Pacific Ocean as far east as Japan and southeast Australia. It is absent from the Persian Gulf and Oman.[2]

Description
Male sea goldie, Dahab

This species shows marked sexual dimorphism:[3]

  • Female: Length up to 7 cm (2.75 in), orange/gold color with violet streak below the eye
  • Male: Length up to 15 cm (5.9 in), fuchsia color with elongated third ray of the dorsal fin, a red patch on the pectoral fin, and elongated margins of the tail

The midas blenny, Ecsenius midas, goes through a phase of yellow colouration and is a social mimic of the sea goldie.[2]

The sea goldie feeds primarily on zooplankton.[3] Like other anthias, the sea goldie is a protogynous hermaphrodite; a male retains a harem of five to 10 females, but when the male dies, one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male. Spawning occurs at sunset, between December and February (in the Red Sea).[4]

Habitat

The fish lives around coral outcrops in clear lagoons, patch reefs, and steep slopes to a depth of 35 m, often found in the company of Chromis dimidiata. They are often found in very large schools above the reef.[2]

Video Game appearances

The sea goldie appears in both games of the Endless Ocean franchise.[5]

References
  1. Williams, J.T.; Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. (2016). "Pseudanthias squamipinnis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T69591800A69592809. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69591800A69592809.en. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) Coral reef guide; Red Sea London, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-715986-2
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Pseudanthias squamipinnis" in FishBase. 5 2007 version.
  4. Siliotti, A. (2002). Fishes of the Red Sea. Verona, Geodia ISBN 88-87177-42-2
  5. "Endless Ocean". Giantbomb. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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